AS TRAGEDY STRIKES, HEROES EMERGE

the speed at which Metro operated was miraculous. Without the officers’ bravery and efficiency, the horror below the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay would have been even worse.

Officers at the concert site reacted admirably, and Lombardo has provided exceptional leadership throughout. He’s been a calm, steady and compassionate presence, from overseeing the swift response to helping establish what appears to be a well-coordinated multidepartment investigation to providing the community with regular updates on investigators’ progress.

First responders at the scene also went above and beyond, routinely putting themselves at risk of danger to assist the victims. They waded into the senseless violence — an act made even braver by what turned out to be reports of multiple shooters and explosions — to perform their duties and offer desperately needed care for victims.

Across Las Vegas Boulevard, the staff and leadership of Mandalay Bay and other MGM Resorts International properties were hustling to usher guests to safety and were executing emergency plans within minutes. They were helped by guests who, like the concertgoers across the street, made sure that others — many times complete strangers — were cared for.

Heroes, one and all.

Then there’s the health care community, which was faced with a flood of wounded that was reminiscent of a natural disaster. Staffs at Las Vegas hospitals performed extraordinary acts the night of the shooting, and continue to do so. This emergency is still happening to them, as they work to save the most badly injured, and will for days. Staff and leadership of the five hospitals where the wounded were taken — especially UMC and Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center — deserve the community’s praise and thanks.

So do the local officials who created and executed the emergency management plan, providing buses to transport the concertgoers, getting the Thomas & Mack Center organized as a shelter, establishing crisis lines and so forth.

Once the shelter was established, another group of heroes emerged — the hundreds of people who delivered water, blankets and other items to the Thomas & Mack Center. There were so many donations, officials asked politely for people to stop dropping items off. It was a heartwarming problem to have.

But the giving didn’t stop there. Las Vegas residents waited in long lines — hundreds, in some cases — to donate blood on Monday. And when officials set up a Gofundme account with the goal of raising $500,000 for the victims families, donors shot over it within hours. The goal was reset to $1 million, and that came and went, too. As of the last update Monday, the fund had drawn more than $2 million.

A tragedy that will never be forgotten yielded a community response that won’t, either.

Las Vegas showed what it truly is, and it’s more than a place that offers people an escape from reality. It’s a place where, when confronted with the ugliest of realities, we pour out our hearts, make sacrifices to aid those in need and work even harder to serve others.

We should never forget the victims of Oct. 1, 2017. But as we embark on the long process of healing, we can find warmth in the compassion with which our community treated them.

God bless Las Vegas.